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Windows 11 Pro
The professional/prosumer edition of Windows 11, adding BitLocker, Hyper-V, Remote Desktop hosting, and domain/Entra ID join over Home.
Platform
Windows
Edition
Pro
Released
October 2021
Support ends
Still supported
System requirements
Same baseline as Home (1 GHz 64-bit CPU, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, TPM 2.0, UEFI Secure Boot) plus support for BitLocker, Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, and joining a work/school (Azure AD/Entra ID) network.
Windows 11 Pro is the default choice for freelancers, small businesses, and power users who need at least one feature Home doesn't offer: full BitLocker drive encryption controls, the built-in Hyper-V hypervisor for running VMs without third-party software, hosting incoming Remote Desktop connections, joining a Windows domain or Entra ID (Azure AD) tenant, and Windows Sandbox for a disposable, throwaway Windows environment to test unknown software in. It shares Windows 11's same hardware floor (TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, an approved CPU) and the same roughly-annual feature update cadence as Home.
Release dates, support windows, and system requirements come from Microsoft's and Apple's own published lifecycle pages (linked above) — always confirm there before relying on this for a production/enterprise deployment decision, since support policies occasionally change.